Russian government subsidises Arctic expedition research

MOSCOW, May 11. /TASS/. Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed an order to allocate 205.2 million roubles (almost $4 million) for resuming national research expeditions in the Arctic, the government’s site reported on Monday.

The North Pole drifting station is a major factor of Russia’s presence in high-latitude regions of the Arctic, which confirms "Russia’s priority in complex research in the Arctic region," the website reads.

The programme of the drifting stations in the Arctic began in 1937 and suspended in summer of 2013, where the North Pole-40 station was evacuated "because of unfavourable ice conditions, caused by anomalous natural processes in the Arctic basin."

The government informs that in 2015 the North Pole station will be working not for the entire year, but for seasons. The total duration of the work including landing and evacuation is 2.5-3 months. The station is situation in the region of the geographic North Pole near an ice camp of the Russian Geographic Society. About 16 people will be working at the station.

The staff will continue and develop nature research of the central part of the Arctic basin, which are necessary to improve hydrometeorology methods used in the Arctic.

The money will be allocated from the budget, planned for the hydrometeorology authority, Roshydromet, for the current year, reads the information on the government’s website.